Reconnaissance
by YuugisGirl
Summary: Everything about the boy was an enigma that both fascinated an infuriated Honda. And perhaps it was for this reason that Honda had begun to spend so much time with him. Chaseshipping One-shot Contest -fic


A/N: This is my Chaseshipping (HondaxOtogi) fic for Computerfreak101's YGO writing contest. This one was really hard for me to write, not only because my computer decided to shut down on me about every five seconds, but because Honda is such a difficult character to work with. (Probably owing to the fact that he has barely any personality what so ever) I hope you like it. Slightly AU I guess. The characters are at least old enough to LEGALLY drink now. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: If I owned it, then I would be able to afford a WORKING computer.

Reconnaissance

Honda had always prided himself on the knowledge that he was a good gambler. Sure, he wasn't "Lord of the Universe" when it came to games, like Yuugi or his alter ego, but he was sure his powers of deduction were substantial enough to win him a hand of card against any opponent who wasn't A.) Possessed by the spirit of an ancient Egyptian, B.) Holding the powers of darkness at his fingertips or C.) All of the above.

Having observed many _many_ of his friends' various card games, he'd come to a rather more heightened sense of awareness when it came to the actions of others. He'd learned, through silent study, to read the slight twitches of the facial muscles and whether they spelled fury or glee. He could now tell whether or not a person was trustworthy by the slight hunch in their posture, the very way they wore their hair…

Of course, Honda wasn't Sherlock Holmes. He couldn't perfectly spit out each and every single action of an individual over the past few months merely by being in the same room as them for five minutes. But he could read people well enough for him to win almost every bet he'd ever placed.

That was, until he met Ryuuji Otogi.

He first "met" Otogi back in high school. (Though standing in the background and watching and a stranger being verbally assaulted by your best friend hardly constituted as "meeting someone")

Otogi was tall and lithe with emerald green eyes and a feral smile- attractive by the standards of modern society. His physical features placed him, in the mind of Hiroto Honda, under the category of "pretty-boy". Of course, this description was slightly marred by the black, triangular tattoo under his eye and the slightly punk-ish air about his leather pants and boots. These articles of clothing would usually dictate that someone was either from the rougher side of town or was simply a desperate soul in need of attention. Otogi didn't seem to be either. Judging by the real gold jewelry along his wrists and dangling from his ears, the dark haired teen was definitely well off. And from the aura of superiority that surrounded him, Honda could tell that such a person would never have to dress so outlandishly for attention. Otogi was the type who could draw up a crowd without saying a single word- by simply just _being _there. And just to add to this "rich, pretty-boy, rebel, god-like" persona was a sharp tongue, clever hand, a strategic mind and a smile that could break hearts faster than the eye could blink.

Everything about the boy was an enigma that both fascinated an infuriated Honda. Never before had he been so unable to figure a person out, to categorize them perfectly into one of the dozens of standards he had set for mankind.

And perhaps it was for this reason that Honda had begun to spend so much time with him.

* * *

The bar was…well…_empty,_ at least by the standards of a normal Friday night.

About half a dozen patrons stood in odd corners of the dingy room, murmuring softly into their glasses half -filled with amber liquid or otherwise moping in silence. Honda sniffed the rather musty air disdainfully, skirting a few of the bar's shadier looking customers anxiously and glancing about for a sign of his quarry.

It wouldn't even take a blind man long to find Otogi. The black haired male was stretched out leisurely at the bar, his smoldering emerald eyes half-lidded as he nursed to scotch in his left hand. He had an air of such graceful nonchalance that Honda almost felt a pang of jealousy in the bottom of his stomach. Another strange facet of the "rich, pretty-boy, rebel, god-like" creature's endless morphing personality, to be able to look utterly marvelous while doing something entirely uneventful.

The "presence" that was Otogi had already drawn every eye in the room to his form, though some were more discrete about their staring than others. The boy was like a peacock among pigeons.

Catching Otogi's eye, Honda saw the enigma in the form of a person smile and wave him over. The smile was strange within itself, twisting up at the corners in a way that could almost be considered cruel.

"Honda!" Otogi chirped brightly, jumping up off his bar stool and rushing up to give the brunet a one-armed hug. Physical contact like this was reserved only for Honda closest friends. "How are you? It's been a while!" he smiled happily up at the slightly bemused expression on Honda's face.

"Dude, I was only gone for two weeks." The brunet replied, pushing his shorter companion aside and grabbing a seat at the bar.

"Yes, but for two very long weeks! You forget that daylight saving went on while you were gone so really, you took even longer than normal to get back." Otogi signaled the rather ancient looking barkeeper and ordered two more scotches. "Who was I supposed to gamble with while you were gone?"

"Umm…Yuugi? Bakura? I'm sure Jou wouldn't have minded."

"Okay, let me rephrase that. Who was I supposed to gamble with and _win_."

Honda rolled his eyes slightly, ignoring the slight to his gambling abilities. Accepting the drink that was handed to him, Honda sipped at it disinterestedly, never really having been one for alcohol. "You could win again Jounouchi." He said in an offhand sort of way.

"Nah, the guys basically over taken Kaiba as the second best gamer around. I don't even think I'd stand a chance against _him_ anymore."

"What do you want me to do Otogi?" Honda asked with a small chuckle. "Quit my job so that you won't be so lonely?"

"No, but I'd appreciate it if you could find a suitable replacement for best friend before you leave next time." The raven haired male replied with that strange, twisted smile, bringing his drink to his lips.

Honda felt heat rush to his face, but beat it back instantly. It made him feel a bit guilty that he couldn't say Otogi was his best friend in return, but that position had been filled for years by a certain goofy blond. That, and the thought that somehow 'friend' didn't seem to quite fit the relationship he had with Otogi. Unlike his other friends, Honda didn't always like the shorter man, be it because they had once both been after the same girl or simply the way the black haired male spoke to others around him. What kept Honda coming back to this rather awkward "non-friendship" was his insatiable curiosity over Otogi's person. _The boy just didn't make sense_, no matter how many ways you tried to piece him together. He was alluring and charming, yet sometimes so down right arrogant to the point of being repulsive. He held so much influence that he could get into any club that he wanted, but he insisted on meeting in dingy little bars like this one.

"Otogi?" Honda asked after a few moments silence "Why did you want to meet _here_?" It was a valid question that would, perhaps, give him more insight into the mind of Ryuuji Otogi.

"Because this place gives you the _perfect_ view of the bus street outside. Don't you just love People-Watching?" His voice was colored with the amusement of one who enjoys basking in the glow of their affluence before the masses of starving homeless.

Honda grimaced, but nodded in agreement. People-Watching was one of the many things he now enjoyed doing. He liked observing the expressions of the passersby, gauging their personally within the few sparse moments when they were the object of his scrutinizing gaze.

Still, it did not make him feel the heady sense of glee he knew Otogi was experiencing. The boy was impossible to read! One moment he was just about the kindest person anyone could ever know. The next, well…he would refuse to be associated with you purely because he didn't care for your choice in shoes. The "rich, pretty-boy, rebel, god-like, bipolar" boy turned to him with a smile.

"Wanna make a bet?"

* * *

Honda would suppose, later in life, that it was probably his fault they had ended up here. The bet had seemed simple at first. "Just guess a number on the dice and whoever is closer to the number rolled wins." Simple. Easy. The game of luck had been, rather miraculously, going in Honda's favor and he had continued upping the antae, his mind buzzing with adrenaline. A winning-induced high.

When the second dice had been added to the fray, and multiple numbers were now being guessed at, the tide had begun to turn in his opponent's favor, and the money that Honda had been the proud owner of merely moments before began to move back across the table until nothing was left. Otogi had giving him that twisted smile, turning to leave when Honda did something incredibly bold and incredibly stupid. Desperate and maddened by the loss of all his winnings, Honda bet the last thing he could.

_"All do anything you ask. Just one more roll."_

_"Anything?" _The question should have been a sign, a warning, but Honda was too far gone now to notice.

"_Yes._" The word that had sealed his fate.

So in retrospect, Honda decided, it was really all his fault that he was here now, pressed back into the bar railing, the lips of one Ryuuji Otogi completely covering his own. It was really all his fault, he would realize later, as he shoved the shorter man away, shocked and furious. It was all his fault, but he would never say it out loud.

"WHAT THE FUCK OTOGI?!" Honda cried, swiping the back of his hand across his mouth in disgust.

The object of his verbal missile simply eyed him in a silent amusement, that strange, crooked smile rooted upon his face. "You said '_anything_' didn't you?" He practically purred, emerald eyes smoldering.

"Yeah, like washing your car or balancing your checkbook! I didn't offer for you to fucking _kiss_ me!" Honda was breathing heavily, his fists clenched as he attempted to keep from clocking the arrogant bastard. "What the hell is _wrong_ with you?"

"I find this reaction strange, seeing as you were so intent to know me." Otogi's smirk looked more like a snarling grimace.

"What..?" Honda started, only to be cut off by Otogi.

"Don't play dumb with me." They were merely two feet apart, Honda's shove not having forced the black haired male back to a more preferable distance. Otogi stepped closer. "I know that you find me interesting and quite frankly," there was hardly any space between them now, Otogi's breath ghosting across Honda's nose and mouth. "I find you fascinating."

He was moving even nearer, that twisted smile inching closer and closer, and ever string of thought Honda had ever had for the boy before him flashed though his mind as his eyes began to slide shut.

Waiting. And then…

"Interesting." Those lips were so close to his that they whispered against his own as Otogi spoke. Then suddenly all the heat was gone.

Honda opened his eyes to see Otogi already half-way out of the bar, the smirk plastered on his chiseled face reflected in one of the dingy windows. "Very interesting."

Honda remained frozen to the spot for several more minutes, completely ignoring the stares he was receiving from the rest of the bar's patrons. Then suddenly ...

"FUCK!"

Slamming money down on the counter, Honda stormed out of the bar and up the, now, nearly deserted street, after the "rich, pretty-boy, rebel, god-like, bipolar, arrogant, wonderful" asshole that he just couldn't, for the life of him, ever figure out.

* * *

A/N: Yeah…Well I hope you liked it! (Or at least understood it somewhat…-_-U) Please Review!


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